Hopper and article-ordering device



J. C.' BROWN.

HOPPER AND ARTICLE ORDERING DEVICE -Fi1 ed May 31, 192.4.

INVENTOR. (7b fl (5251-0 7 A TTORNEYS.

Patented J an. 27, 1925.

JOSEPH 0. BROWN, F FIflGI-IBUBG, MASS-ACHUSEIDS,AASIGNQR To IBRPWN nae r m, mo MACHINE COMPANY. or Fir-canons, AssAeH-ussiers, a GQRPORATIQN or MASSAGHUSETTS.

HOPPER AND ARTICLE'QBDERING DEVICE.

Application filled May 3 1, 1 824. Serial @I o. 112 129.

To all whom itmag concern: Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective of Be it known that J osnrri: C. BRQWN, one channel entranced citizen of the United States, residing at Figure 4; is a cross sectional view of the Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and drum o nithe line e74 of Figure 1. 5 State of Massachusetts has invented certain igere 5 is a iragmentaryelevation of a new and useful Improvements in Hoppers diif rent vdriving iiieans for the agitator and Article Ordering Devices, of which the shaft. following is a specification. There is illustrated a pill sampling me- The invention has for an object to reflect chine as disclosed in any w e diiig'appu 10 improvements in hoppers or article feeding cation Serial No. 706,968 tiled ltip ili 'q devices, particularly ofthetype illustrated 19% for improvements in packaging nain my co pending application Serial No. chines, including a chute plate 10, provided 706,968 wherein it is desired to feed deliwith parallel grooves ll to receive pills fro in cately coated articles to a guide slot. It is a drum 12, mounted on the upper end f an important .aim of the invention to prothe chute. The forn of the groove's andthe vide an improved hopper and ordering [manner of feeding of pills therethro ngh in i'neans whereby to minimize damage to vtlie entry may befunderstood fromthe aforearticles such as pills, or other coated articles, said .copending application. The Chute or seeds, which are liable to damage by enplate has a broadenedp art 13 at its upper 20 gagelnent with rigidagitating devices or by end, upon which the drum 12 is mounted abrasion due to friction between the articles directly over the grooves 11, indicated themselves it an excessive quantity were The drum co npijses two circular ,l eads 1 t superimposed during agitation. Afurther cut away at one Side so as .to .fit againstaiin is to providea hopper which may have the npper planifor nlsur faceofthe plate 10 large capacity comparatively, and yet in a to which they aresecuredby screws enga ed novel vmanner provide for the introduction throngh vthe under side of the plate; ofonly a smallqnantity of stock over the shown. lga-tending from the chute plate entrance tovthe guide slo t,.or in that part at its junction with ,tlgelieaols atthe upper of the devicewhere thearticles are Required or l et'thand sid e of the dru nas in so 30 to be agitated orn ovedto facilitate their l fitted to and secured upon the edges't oi entrance to the guide slot or channel. It the heads "14, there isla housing plate 15, is a. further important object to :so conwhile at the opposite side" ofthe head anstruct the appliance that by the Lise of a ether hopper andihonsipg plate 15 issirnilight bristle brush the articlesbs -rnoved ,l arly secured at its upper part, its lower 35 in a satisfactory manner, so that surface part being fitted between the Side hopper friction and abrasion J thereon will be re- 1 plates 17, which are attached to'jthe inner ducedtoa minimum. 1 "sides of the heads 14; and'inclintl down- It is also anobject to provide a novel i wardlyandin vardly therefro m theirlower structure in acontainer for'the purposes inledge portions iheing spaced approximately l d, Additional features offinventionas the salne distance as thefchannels 11 ofthe well as objects and advantages attained ,cln te plate. Extending from the lower thereby reside vin the structural details of j inction of thecl ute plate with the heads the device, and the combination and ar- 1%,,there isallower hopper plate lflfiitted rangement of elements, asrnay bereadily t snnglyfup on. the heads a short distaiicelfand understood from the foll0Wingdescription then bent to extend eccentricallyiunder and and accompanying drawings, wvherein, spaced relation with the lower edge of Figure ,1 isia,side elevationalview partly the hopper plate 16 and outwardly-thereof ninrseotion of a pill sanipling device in which in ,a divergent relation to form" aliopper m i v ntion i embedied spac hetwean th t as h wnl il 'i 'e iFi si fii ar rsp c iveo t ie uiinand lfiii l attafi ed to t d 1iQPP P I -te ann with re sk i/- xei i-a s t eme ald l-ple i eteae e which extend above the plates 16 and 17 a distance and are attached to the heads 14 at the outer side, as may be seen in Figure 5. The plates 18 and 19 have their edges disposed horizontally on a level with the top of thedrum, or they may be extended thereabove, as found preferable, and in the latter instance, the plate 16 should also be extended to a similar height.

It is to be observed that by this construction an approximately cylindrical chamber the plate 16 is at a comparatively low level, I

and forms a narrow throat opening from the hopper portion 20. It is also to be noted that theupper parts of the plates. and 16 stop short of each other a considerable distance, the plate 15' extending only a short distance above the chute plate, while the plate 16 may be extended nearly or quite to the upper sides of the heads This provides an access opening in the top of the chamber referred to, by which access may be readily gained directly to the channels of the chute plate, and as will hereinafter appear, any failure of. the stock to feed by a jam at the entrance to this chan nel may be quickly remedied, on account of the very. small quantity of stock which will be superposed over the channels themselves by reason of the construction employed, as the operator may quickly clear the entrance to the channel by loosening the jammed articles, or removal of any foreign object or particles which may have been introduced with the stock. In the chamber there isconcentrically mounted a revoluble shaft 22, journalled suitably in the heads 14L, which shaft may be operated by any" suitable means, in the particular instance shown a crank arm 23 being secured on one extremity of the shaft without the drum, and an operating link 24- extended from the arm'to be operated in a familiar manner from any erank or cam device conveniently available. I,

A brush'25 is shown mounted upon the shaft 22, the brush preferably has a series of good bristles of suitable length or equivalent elements, arranged to brush lightly against the stock entering the throat opening and moving toward the left from the in various ways, but as illustrated in the.

particular embodiment shown, comprises a head 26 having the brist'les set therein and having two stems 27 engaged slidably through suitable apertures in the shaft 22. The stems may be secured adjustably by means of set screws 28 in suitable apertures in the shaft. It is to be noted that the brush is of a width to work readily between the lower portions of the side hopper plates 17.v may be readily understood from the showing in Figure 1-. It should be noted that the lower portions of the side plates 17 approach most. closely to each other adjacent the lower points at which the channels 11 are exposed in the drum, and the most closely spaced portions are located slightly within the thannels 11, the plates 17 being fitted snugly against the lower plate 18 and the heads; and cut to fit against the chute plate. By reason of their inclination, they extend diagonally across the channels, so

that entrances to these channels are formed with sides divergent upwardly, it being possible for pills to enter at the upperpart of the opening only, from which point the articles may move downwardly in the channels .ot' the chute plate by gravity. By reason of this construction, in the operation of the device, a series of articles cannot become jamn'ied in the opening, and no wedging effect is readily possible. It is also to he noted that the brush stops short of the plates 15, 1.6. and 18 and tends'to brush only lightly against the chute plate 10 where it is exposed in the drum.v

Stock being introduced in the hopper proper 20. it will move by gravity into the chamber 20, but by the location of the plate 16 will notrise therein to a great height and will be only. brushed lightly by the brush when the latter is oscillated or rotated in the chamber. lVith the movement of the brush toward the left or rearwardly, stock will he propelled upwardly upon the chute I plate and quantities of articles will thereby be moved along over the channel entrances 29 into whichmany of them will drop and move downwardly into the channels beneath the convergent parts of the plates 17. It is an advantage of the arrangement that the plates 17 over the channels sustain the weight of stock over the channel entrances and it will not impede the movement of articles after the stock passes into the chan: nels. \Vedging of the stock in movement from the drum into the chute plate will thereby be reduced to a minimum.

It may be found preferable to operate the brush so as to rotate continuously in one direction. and in this event, a simple pulley 28 may be provided upon the shaft 22. as shown in Figure 5, and operated by belt from a pulley. The entrances to the channels may of course be arranged otherwise than described, and the entrance openings formed in various ways, as may be found preferable. It will be seen that a comparatively simple drum has been provided, having novel features and advantages of importance for the improvement of functions of this character, and it is easily constructed.

I claim 1. A device of the character described, comprising a chute device having a stock guiding channel, a hopper device mounted thereon in communication with the channel at one point, and including a plate portion crossing said channel diagonally, whereby to form V-shaped entrance to the channel, means for feeding and maintaining a small quantity of stock over the channel entrance, and an agitator member movable therein longitudinally of the channel.

2. An article feeding means of the character described comprising an agitator chamber, a chute device having stock guiding channels therein opening into the agitator chamber, said chamber being open at its upper part at one side for observation and manual movement of stock, and a hopper having commflinication with the chamber adjacent the opposite side and lower part only, whereby asmall quantity of stock only may be fed into the chamber from the hopper and an agitator movable in said chamber.

3. A device of the character described comprising an approximately cylindrical agitator chamber having an access opening at its upper part extending more on one side than the other, a brush agitator movable therein concentrically and having parts stopping short of the sides of the chamber, a

chute plate being extended at an incline across the lower portion of the chamber to be lightly brushed by said brush element.

at. An article of the character described, comprisin an inclined chute plate, having a guide ciannel therein open for its full width at a part thereon, a side hopper plate having a lower edge portion extended diagonally across the channel, means to feed stock in close proximity with the lower part of the opening of the channel adjacent the last named plate and means to move stock longitudinally along this diagonally extending )ortion of said plate for entrance to the wider part of the opening to the channel.

5. A device of the character described, comprising semi-circular heads having an inclined chute plate secured therebetween, a housing plate fixed with the heads at the upper part of the chute plate, a second similar plate at the opposite sides of the heads stopping short of the chute plate and a third plate similarly fitted at the lower part of the head abutting the chute plate but extending outwardly of the heads and eccentrically, whereby to form a cylindrical agi tator chamber and a hopper and a restricted throat opening from the hopper to the chan'iber, the first and second named plates stopping short of each other at the upper parts. and a revolubly mounted agitator device between the first and second named plates.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JOSEPH C. BROWN. 

